Humanoid Robot HMND 01 Successfully Navigates Automotive Factory Floor in Live Trial

Daily Technology

31/03/2026

A significant step forward in industrial automation was marked by the successful live trial of the HMND 01 humanoid robot within an active automotive production facility. Developed by Humanoid, a UK-based robotics company, the trial focused on practical logistics tasks, demonstrating the robot's ability to integrate seamlessly with existing enterprise software and workflows.

Key Takeaways

The HMND 01 robot performed real-world warehouse picking tasks, receiving instructions directly from enterprise software.
Integration with SAP's platform via the Joule agent layer enabled direct task assignment to the robot over the internet.
The trial highlighted the robot's consistent performance in a live production environment, handling loads up to 17.6 pounds.

Real-World Logistics Operations

The HMND 01 Alpha Wheeled robot was deployed in a genuine factory setting to evaluate its practical application beyond controlled demonstrations. The core of the trial involved a standard warehouse picking workflow. The robot autonomously navigated to designated pallet locations, retrieved KLT boxes, and delivered them to a trolley, repeating the cycle as part of a live order fulfillment process. This approach was designed to mirror actual factory conditions, assessing the robot's ease of integration into daily operations rather than relying on isolated test environments.

Software-Driven Control and Integration

A crucial aspect of the trial was the robot's connection to the facility's enterprise software. Humanoid linked its KinetIQ AI platform with SAP's system through the Joule agent layer. This integration allowed the warehouse management system to send tasks directly to the robot, which executed them without the need for a custom local controller. This effectively brought the robot into the factory's core IT infrastructure, enabling it to work alongside existing tools for inventory management, order processing, and logistics flow.

Dr. Lukasz Ostrowski, Head of Embodied AI & Robotics at SAP SE, commented on the significance of this integration, stating, "Embodied Joule represents a fundamental shift in how robots understand and respond to business needs." He further elaborated that this proof of concept demonstrates how humanoid robots can extend an organization's operations by integrating with existing workflows.

Trial Execution and Future Prospects

The project, which ran from January to February 2026, involved phased testing, site preparation, and system deployment. During the trial, the HMND 01 robot successfully handled three types of totes and managed loads up to 17.6 pounds using its dual arms, exhibiting consistent performance under real operating conditions. Artem Sokolov, Founder and CEO of Humanoid, emphasized the importance of this real-world validation, noting, "This proof of concept shows what matters: humanoid robots operating inside real production environments, connected to enterprise systems and measured against operational standards." The partners are now planning the next phase of validation, aiming to explore broader deployment opportunities and more complex use cases in production environments.

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